Author: Kanayan Tamar

TRIO BELIEVED TO HAVE TAKEN FORTY MARTYRS ARMENIAN CHURCH SAFE IN SANTA ANA

OC Weekly , CA
May 8 2013

By Matt Coker Wed., May 8 2013 at 12:00 PM

Images pulled from surveillance video of men believed to have stolen
safes containing thousands of dollars from a church and four other
locations were released by the Santa Ana Police Department Tuesday.

The most recent heist was May 1, when three burglars broke into Forty
Martyrs Armenian Church, 5315 W. McFadden Ave., around 4 a.m., and
stole a safe containing about $13,000, according to Santa Ana Police
Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, the department spokesman. Most of the money
was proceeds from a bingo game held hours earlier.

One burglar, wearing a Chicago White Sox cap, tried to break
a surveillance camera with a screwdriver, but he instead provided
police with a clear, close-up image of himself:

Santa Ana and Anaheim police are working together on the case because
the same trio is suspected of pulling other safe heists in both
cities dating back to January. Here is another look from the Forty
Martyrs job:

And another:

According to Bertagna, the three were seen in a newer model gray
four-door car. The burglar in the ball cap was described as white,
thin, clean-shaven and age 30-35 with short brown hair. Another is
believed to be age 40-45, bald with a mustache and a medium build. The
third amigo was possibly Latino, age 35-40, thin and having a goatee.

Anyone with information is asked to call Orange County Crime Stoppers
at 855.847.6227.

View images at

PATERNALISM IS EASIER TO “SELL” IN ARMENIA THAN PROGRAMS AND IDEOLOGY

Interview by Ashot Grigoryan, exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

Elections to the Council of Elders of Yerevan took place on May 5th.

According to preliminary data, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
got 55.68%, Prosperous Armenia – 23.05%, and the bloc of parties
“Hello Yerevan!” – 8.47%. Political scientist David Petrosyan answers
Vestnik Kavkaza’s questions on peculiarities of the elections.

– Unlike previous municipal elections, these elections had great
importance for Armenia. Why was this so?

– Three parliamentary political forces (the Armenian national congress,
Dashnaktsutyun, and Prosperous Armenia) didn’t participate in the
last presidential elections for various reasons, but decided to take
part in the elections on May 5th.

Yerevan elections are thought to be third important elections in
Armenia. 35% of Armenian voters live in Yerevan, and each political
force strive for demonstration of its abilities in the capital. Major
financial and economic resources are concentrated in Yerevan. Those
who control Yerevan control financial flows and the economic sphere
of the country. Some political forces though that the mayor could be
a counterbalance to President and the government, however, I disagree
with them because the mayor doesn’t control force structures. But
Yerevan’s mayor is one of the most important political figures of
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia May 8 2013

Armenia.

– What were the peculiarities of the elections?

– The opposition can say whatever it wants, but there was no violence
at the elections of May 5th. The atmosphere was tense, but there were
no fights and clashes, even though attempts took place. It was the
first peculiarity. The second difference was that all parliamentary
forces invested significant sums in the election campaign, unlike the
campaign of 2009. It means that all participants of the elections
treated them very seriously. The third peculiarity was that the
parties with a clear ideological doctrine didn’t get into the capital
parliament – the ANC and Dashnaktsutyun. I don’t talk about the
Republican Party of Armenia which has a clear ideological doctrine,
but doesn’t follow it.

– What is the reason for the failure of ideological political forces?

– Perhaps it is connected with the fact that today paternalism is
easier to “sell” in Armenia than programs and ideology.

Nevertheless, election programs by Dashnaktsutyun, Prosperous Armenia,
and the ANC were thoughtful; it was obvious that these parties are
aware of Yerevan’s problems and their programs presented ways out
for the problems.

– The opposition decided to take part in the elections
separately. Could this be the reason for its failure?

– The Armenian opposition cannot take part in elections as a unified
whole; it is impossible because Dashnaktsutyun’s voters won’t support
this force, if it appears in one bloc with the ANC or Prosperous
Armenia, and so on. The point is in voters, and each opposition force
understands this. Voters perceive positively that these three forces
actively cooperate in the parliament, but they are not ready to see
the forces in one coalition.

As for the opposition’s failure, I don’t think PA has failed. Yes,
it was defeated by RPA, but if we look at results of the previous
elections to the Council of Elders in 2009, we will see that today PA
got 7 thousand more votes. The ANC’s failure is explained by the fact
that restructuring of the party began during the period of election
agitation. As for Dashnaktsutyun, the majority of its voters live
in regions.

– What do you think about the election coalition “Hello Yerevan”?

– The coalition managed to get more than 8% and entered the Council
of the Elders. However, the elections showed that the 43% which Raffi
Ovannisyan received in the presidential elections meant a common
amount of protest votes; Ovannisyan’s personal votes are the 8%.

– What are the political results of the elections?

– Formally RPA maintained all positions which belonged to it since
2007, i.e. the total control over Yerevan, the parliament, the
government, and the presidential position. Thus, RPA is still the
leading political force.

– As usual, RPA used a huge administrative resource in the
elections. Under what conditions the opposition forces would overcome
the amount of votes provided by the administrative resource?

– I don’t see any opportunity for this today because RPA’s resource
is too huge, and other parties lack resources for struggling against
RPA. But this situation cannot last forever. Firstly, there could be
emergencies; secondly, RPA itself is not solid.

FOOD FEUDS CONTINUE TO SIMMER IN THE CAUCASUS

Aljazeera.com, Qatar
May 8 2013

Pride and markets are at stake as countries in the troubled region
accuse one another of gastronomical plagiarism.

by Felix Gaedtke and Gayatri Parameswaran

Fifty-five year-old Ayda Sergsyan sang out a series of verses in
praise of a traditional Armenian dish, pumpkin stuffed with rice,
apple, apricot, almonds and other nuts – on a recent afternoon, as
she prepared lunch for her family of six. The song pays tribute to
the dish for its aroma and taste, but also highlights the importance
of cuisine in Armenia’s culture.

Pride in national cuisine is common across the Caucasian countries of
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. But “gastronationalism” has caused
quite a stir among these neighbours, who vie for the recognition of
certain dishes as their own. The issue is increasing tensions between
nations that share a troubled past.

That sunny afternoon, Sergsyan prepared her favourite dish, tolma,
in her modest kitchen in Areni, a village in southern Armenia. She
meticulously filled some vine leaves with rice and beef. “I’m preparing
two kinds of tolma today – vegetarian and a meat variant,” she said,
as her grandchildren eagerly awaited their meal.

Meanwhile, a pot of harissa – chicken and wheat stew, boiled on the
gas stove. “Harissa is our national dish. We all love it. It takes
a lot of time for preparation, so we began making it last night,”
she said. An hour later, as lunch was served, the Sergsyan family
gathered around their large dining table and cheered with their
homemade wine to the glory of Armenian cuisine.

But what the Sergsyans, and thousands of other Armenians, proudly
consider to be their national food is a bone of contention in the
surrounding region.

For instance, neighbouring Azerbaijan claims tolma to be integral to
Azeri cuisine. Last year, Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev declared
it to be their national dish.

The National Cuisine Centre of Azerbaijan has gone further, accusing
Armenia of “plagiarising” its national food.

Tahir Amiraslanov, who heads the organisation, said: “Armenians claim
Azerbaijani and other dishes as their own… We’ve accused Armenia
many times of plagiarising Azeri dishes. We tried to have a scientific
argument to determine [the food’s] origin, but they aren’t willing
to cooperate.”

The fight doesn’t stop there. Earlier this year, Azerbaijan’s Ministry
of National Security produced a documentary film called “Three Points”
about the issue. The movie emphasises the importance of food in the
conflict between the two countries, which went to war in the late
1980s and early 1990s over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict left more than 30,000 dead and a million displaced from
both sides. In 1994 a ceasefire was declared, but both sides accuse
each other of violating the peace accord.

Armenia has refuted the allegations of food plagiarism. As a show
of defiance, the Preservation and Development of Armenian Culinary
Traditions, an organisation that works to preserve Armenian cuisine,
set up an annual tolma festival in which chefs from across the country
are invited to participate in a tolma-making competition.

Sedrak Mamulyan, a celebrity chef, culinary expert and organiser of
the festival, said: “If they [other countries] want to make these
dishes, let them. We don’t have a problem, but why do they claim
it as their own? We don’t do that – we don’t claim other countries’
dishes as our own.”

The organisation has also been contesting UNESCO’s decision to add
keshkek – a dish made of chicken and wheat stew – to its list of
Turkey’s intangible cultural heritage. According to Mamulyan, the
dish called harissa in Armenia has been proven to be theirs. “The
word ‘keshkek’ has Armenian roots. ‘Kashi’ means ‘to pull’ and ‘ka’
means ‘to take out’. Once harissa is cooked you take it out of the
oven. Ask the representatives of other nations about this dish and
see if they can give you a similar explanation.”

Meanwhile, Armenians have been questioning claims by neighbouring
Georgia that khash, a soup made from cow feet, is its own.

Michaela DeSoucey, an assistant professor at North Carolina State
University, has researched gastronationalism and argues that such
disputes are not just about nationalism. “It is much more than
that … What often seems to be nationalism and pride is more of a
struggle for markets. Jobs and livelihoods among the producers of
the ingredients can be influenced by these disputes.”

Arguments over which country “owns” a type of food are not intended
to end in agreement, Desoucey believes. “[The disputes] help to raise
awareness, but also help grow the markets by making people want to
try the products,” she explained.

Breaking bread together

And gastronationalism is by no means limited to the Caucasus region.

DeSoucey cites disputes over the origin of feta cheese between Greece,
France and Denmark, and a feud over who “invented” hummus between
Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. “By creating symbolic boundaries,
food is being used to keep people apart,” she said.

At the same time, though, food and peacemaking have been connected
historically, noted DeSoucey: “The main way alliances were brokered,
how conflicts were resolved, was over food and feasting together.”

The disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh illustrates how there may
be some room for reconciliation. Despite decades of conflict with
Azerbaijan, the people of the region reportedly love Azeri food.

Although there isn’t any direct contact between the two sides,
Karabakhis have found a way around closed borders. The Azeri tea they
are so fond of reaches them through relatives living in Russia. Azeris
in Baku procure their bottles of Armenian cognac in a similar fashion.

In 2007, the Helsinki Initiative, an NGO that works towards promoting
peace in the conflict-ridden region, organised a unique event called
“Azeri Kitchen Day” in Nagorno-Karabakh’s main city, Stepanakert,
in which Azeri dishes were cooked and served.

Karen Ohanjanyan, who heads the Helsinki Initiative, stressed the
need for such exchanges. “It is very difficult to establish peace on
the grassroots level,” she said.

“In order to achieve real change you have to start from the
grassroots. You have to organise such things as the Azeri Kitchen
Day and other events, in order to move towards peace.”

Source: Al Jazeera

BEYOND GEGHARD AND GARNI

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 | Posted by Matthew Karanian

Sardarabad (photo by Matthew Karanian)

BY MATTHEW KARANIAN

First-time travelers to Armenia seem to always end up at Echmiadzin,
Khor Virap, Geghard, and Garni.

There’s nothing wrong with this. After all, Echmiadzin, Khor Virap,
and Geghard are three of the most significant cultural and religious
sites in Armenia.

The fourth site, Garni, is the most significant site that’s located
along the road to Geghard, which is, I suppose, a good enough reason
to keep it on the itinerary. Plus it’s a great spot for a picnic.

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Mount Ararat Valley (photo by Matthew Karanian)

These sites are on almost everyone’s itinerary for the additional
reason that they are all trips that you can take in one half day, or
less, from Yerevan. But this isn’t reason-enough for them to be the
only sites on your itinerary. There are just too many other cultural,
educational, and historic sites just outside Yerevan, that you can
also visit in a half day or less.

Getting Off The Beaten Path The town of Ashtarak, for example, is
closer to Yerevan than Khor Virap, and boasts the architecturally
significant Karmravor Church, which was built in the seventh
century. In the time it takes to visit Khor Virap, you can drive
to Ashtarak and back. Twice. And you will see sites that are just
as memorable.

Karmravor is tiny and can accommodate only a few parishioners at
a time. The church takes its name from its red tile roof, and the
architectural style is said to be influenced by the Arab invaders who
were passing through Armenia near the time the church was built. The
ruins of two other churches, and a field of khatchars (stone crosses),
are nearby.

Just east of Ashtarak, in the village of Saghmosavan, is the
beautifully situated monastery of Saghmosavank. The monastery stands
atop the gorge of the Kasakh River and is a dramatic example of
thirteenth century Armenian architecture. This can also be a great
place for hiking, as long as you use care not to fall into the gorge.

Many of Armenia’s greatest cultural sites are churches and
monasteries. They have withstood the ravages of time better than many
Armenian sites. Unfortunately, after visiting several dozen (or fewer)
of them, monastery fatigue can set in. That’s when it helps to know
about places worth visiting that are not churches-places such as the
community nurseries of the Armenia Tree Project.

The Tree Project was founded in the US in 1994 as a non-profit
organization, with the objective of helping reforest Armenia. The tiny
village of Karin, just a few kilometers south of Ashtarak along the
main road that leads to Echmiadzin, is home to one of the community
nurseries of the Tree Project. Here, you’ll find trees, saplings,
and other plants. But no monasteries or churches.

Private tours of the nursery are available, and the Project’s guides
offer visitors a chance to learn about Armenia’s environment and
about the reforestation efforts that are underway. The Tree Project’s
nurseries, including the one in Karin, are responsble for producing
the roughly one million trees that they have planted in Armenia in
the past 19 years.

The Metsamor Museum is an off-the-beaten-path museum that’s another
good alternative to the standard fare of day trips from Yerevan. The
museum is located in the village of Taronik, which is close to the
town of Metsamor.

Metsamor is perhaps more famous for its nuclear power plant, but the
Metsamor Museum shouldn’t be overlooked. The facility houses artifacts
from the nearby Bronze Age settlements, demonstrating that there was
a vibrant cultural center here from roughly 4,000 to 3,000 BC.

One of Armenia’s greatest museums is located just beyond Metsamor,
in the town of Sardarapat. Here, the Sardarapat Museum stands on the
site of what is certainly Armenia’s most significant military victory
of the modern era.

The stone statues of two massive winged lions flank a bell tower at
the entrance to the site, and there’s a celebration each year on May
28 featuring folk dancers and cultural exhibits.

In 1918, Kemalist Turkish forces had internationalized the Genocide
by invading Armenian regions of what was then the Russian Empire. The
Turks were turned back by the Armenians at Sardarapat on May 26,
1918, however, and the Armenian nation survived. Armenia became an
independent republic two days later. It is unlikely that the current
Armenian Republic would exist today if this battle had been lost.

Relics from this battle are on display at the museum.

The museum also chronicles the development of Armenian culture from
antiquity until the modern era. This is certainly one of the best
museums in Armenia and deserves a trip at any time of year.

A visit on May 28 is likely to be especially rewarding because of
the public ceremonies commemorating the victory at Sardarapat, and
the establishment of the first republic in 1918.

I visited on May 28 last year, and got a chance to greet several
Armenian leaders, including the President and the Catholicos of the
Armenian Church. I chatted briefly with Raffi Hovhannissian, too. I
wasn’t surprised to see them all at Sardarapat on May 28. Where else
would any Armenian want to go on that day?

Logistics KARIN: Located midway between Echmiadzin and Ashtarak. To
arrange a tour, visit SARDARAPAT: Museum open 11
am to 4:30 pm daily except Monday.

Admission is 500 dram (about $1.25). To get there, travel west past
Echmiadzin.

What You Need To Know About Armenia

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A woman in traditional Armenian costume (photo by Matthew Karanian)

* POPULATION: 3.259 million (2010 census) * LAND: 29,793
sq. km. (roughly the size of Belgium or the US state of Maryland) *
CAPITAL: Yerevan (population 1,119,000) * CURRENCY: Dram (1 US Dollar
= 400 Armenian Dram) * LANGUAGE: Armenian * ETHNICITY: Roughly 96
percent of the population is Armenian * RELIGION: Almost entirely
Armenian Apostolic Christian * TOURISM: More than 800,000 tourist
visas issued in 2012 * BEST WEATHER: Visit during May or September *
BEST ROUTE: Fly from LAX through Moscow or from JFK through Paris
for the fastest connections.

* VISA: Get a 3-week tourist visa for about $15 at the airport in
Yerevan upon arrival * SPENDING: Bring cash or an ATM card. Credit
cards are accepted at larger hotels and shops.

READ ON: ‘Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Garden Travel Guide’ is the
leading guide to the region, and was recently released in its third
edition. This book is the source for the information that appears
here. Purchase online at or by mail, $30
postpaid, from Stone Garden Productions, PO Box 7758, Northridge,
CA 91327.

HETQ REPORTER GETS THREATENING TELEPHONE CALL: “YOU’LL WIND UP IN A DITCH”

18:17, May 8, 2013

At 3:42 pm, Hetq reporter Ani Hovhannisyan received a threatening
telephone call from cell number registered in Russia.

The caller told Hovhannisyan to “keep her nose out of business that
doesn’t concern her, otherwise it would wind up bad for her and her
family members.”

When the reporter asked what he was talking about, the caller answered
“you know what”.

The caller added that he knows where Hovhannisyan’s family lives and
that all it would take was a phone call.

“Otherwise, dear Ani, you or one of your relatives will wind up in a
ditch,” he said.

Hetq has called on law-enforcement to ensure the safety of Ani
Hovhannisyan and her family and is ready to hand over the phone number
to police.

P.S. – Minutes ago, Hetq contacted the police in writing, including
the phone number and a copy of the recording.

ANC WILL APPEAL TO COURT TO RECOGNIZE YEREVAN ELECTION RESULTS INVALID

May 08, 2013 | 17:30

YEREVAN. – The opposition Armenian National Congress will appeal
election results, head of parliamentary group Levon Zurabyan told
reporters on Wednesday.

Zurabyan said they would demand recounting of votes at 27 precincts and
recognizing invalid election results at 7 precincts. He is confident
that recounting will reveal numerous irregularities.

“Recounting is the only method to disclose election fraud. We must
collect the evidence in order to file a lawsuit to the Administrative
Court to recognize election results invalid,” he said, adding that
the lawsuit is being prepared.

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) on Monday issued the preliminary
results of Sunday’s voting. In line with this outcome, the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia, the non-pro-government Prosperous Armenia
Party, and the opposition Heritage Party-led “Barev, [Hello] Yerevan”
bloc will comprise the new Council of Elders of Yerevan.

Opposition Armenian National Congress Party, opposition ARF
Dashnaktsutyun Party, coalition government’s Orinats Yerkir (Rule of
Law) Party, and Arakelutyun (Mission) Party, on the other hand, did
not pass the 6-percent threshold for the parties to become members
in the Yerevan Council of Elders.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

BIOGRAPHY OF VAHRAM AVANESYAN, ARMENIA’S ECONOMY MINISTER

YEREVAN, May 8./ARKA/. In compliance with Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan’s decree from May 8, Vahram Avanesyan is appointed as the
minister of economy.

Vahram Avanesyan was born in Yerevan on 18 January 1962. In 1983
he received specialization of economist-mathematician from Economic
Cybernetics Department of Yerevan National Economy Institute.

In 1993-1996, Avanesyan was the first deputy finance minister of
Armenia, in 1996-1997 -the economy minister, in 1997-1998 -the senior
advertiser to the prime minister, in 1998-1999-the minister of economic
and structural reforms.

In 2001-2013 Avanesyan was leading ‘AVAG Solutions” Ltd.-0-

Bomb Suspects’ Uncle Gets ‘Love Mail’ for Speaking Out

Bloomberg.com
Apr 24, 2013

By Margaret Talev

Ruslan Tsarni called out to his wife for the letters. Zalina, he said,
bring the box.

Since Tsarni stood outside his suburban Maryland home on April 19
before a scrum of journalists and apologized to the victims of the
Boston Marathon bombings on behalf of his suspect-nephews, calling
them `losers,’ Americans have been writing in from across the country
to offer their support to him, his wife and their six children.

`You may get `hate mail,’ so please consider this `love mail,” wrote
one person from Colorado Springs, Colorado, in a letter that Tsarni
showed a reporter yesterday. `Thank you for your courage in coming
forward.’

For Tsarni, the national tragedy of the bombings that killed three
people and wounded more than 260 on April 15 has become the personal
nadir in a years-long estrangement with his nephews Tamerlan and
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and their parents.

Tsarni’s own emotions have taken a roller-coaster of guilt and anger,
he said in an interview, fueled by the family’s failure to recognize
that Tamerlan’s interest in Islam over the past six years may have
crossed into violent radicalism.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a confrontation with police
chasing the brothers in Watertown, Massachusetts, last week. Dzhokar,
19, accused of using weapons of mass destruction in the Boston
bombing, is recovering from wounds in a Boston hospital as authorities
probe the brothers’ motives.

Last week, Tsarni told reporters outside his home asking for motives
that the brothers are `losers not being able to settle themselves and
thereby just hating everybody who did.’

Ruslan Tsarni’s estrangement with his brother Anzor’s family began
because of tensions between him and Anzor’s wife, Zubeidat Tsarnaev,
he said, describing her as overbearing and meddlesome in her
children’s lives in a dangerous way.

Stirred Shame

Since his nephews emerged as the suspects in the attack, Tsarni said,
he has thought often about his efforts to bring and maintain family
members in the U.S., as well as a failed attempt to encourage Tamerlan
to move to Kazakhstan in 2008.

The correspondence he has received from the American public affirmed
the love for the U.S. that he professed during his impromptu media
appearance last week, he said, and eased some of the shame stirred by
a national manhunt for his nephews.

One letter, scratched out in pencil on lined paper, was signed `Emma,’
describing herself as a 19-year-old from New Jersey, a non-practicing
Christian who felt a sense of compassion for the ethnic Chechens.

`I wish the best for you and your family,’ she wrote. `You are
victims of this mass tragedy as well. Stay strong, ignore the
misconceptions and ignorance.’

Financial Assistance

Tsarni, who describes himself as a business consultant, says he first
came to the U.S. in 1995. He grew up in Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, and
graduated from the Law School of Kyrgyz State University in 1994, he
said in a witness statement in a British lawsuit involving a past
business associate in the former Soviet Republic south of
Kazakhstan. Returning to the U.S. in 2008, he said in his statement,
he had become a U.S. citizen and was a legal consultant to a
U.S. company contracted under USAID in a program of economic
assistance for Kysrgyzstan.

His mother, in her 70s, lives in Kyrgyzstan, he says. In the living
room of Tsarnis’ large home that sits on a quiet cul-de-sac about 30
miles from Washington, family photos adorn the walls. The couple’s
4-year-old son is glued to a big-screen television, oblivious to his
father’s interview with a reporter. Zalina serves a reporter hot tea
in a clear glass cup.

At her husband’s request, she fetches a brown stationery box, kneels
on the rug and spreads a stack of letters on the dark leather
ottoman. She counts the envelopes — 21 letters have arrived within
the four days after her husband’s impromptu nationally televised press
conference.

His older children, girls ages 10, 12 and 13, have read every letter
that’s arrived, Tsarni said.

`Their Lives’

`I made them read them — these letters — so they understand who they
live among,’ he said of the spirit of generosity reflected in the
mail. `I said, `One day we’ll respond to each of these letters.”

His children, he said, `are going to live with this for their lives.’

Tsarni believes he will have an opportunity at some point to speak
with the surviving nephew, Dzhokhar, facing federal changes that could
result in the death penalty if convicted.

`When I have the chance to meet with Dzhokhar, I will show him these
letters,’ Tsarni said. `All of them.’

To contact the reporter on this story: Margaret Talev in Washington at
[email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at
[email protected]

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Institute of Asian and African Studies
Hebrew University,
Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel
Prof. Michael E. Stone
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 972/ 2/ 642 6631

Armenian Studies Program

Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Armenian Studies Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
commemorated the Armenian Genocide in a large public event held on April
28th in collaboration with the Honourary Consul of Armenia, the Armenian
Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Centre for the Prevention of
Genocide.

An audience of about 200 people, among them many Armenians from all over
the country, participated in the commemoration event at the Senate Hall
of the Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus.

The central speaker was the former minister and former Member of the
Knesset, Mr. Yair Tzaban. His talk was a moving call for Israel’s
recognition of the Genocide and was strongly applauded by everybody
present.

Other speakers at the event included Father Pakrad Bourjekian who spoke
on behalf of the Armenian Patriarchate, the Consul of Armenia in
Jerusalem, Mr. Tsolag Momjian, the dean of the Faculty of Humanities,
Prof. Reuven Amitai, the founder of the Armenian Studies Program at the
University, Prof. Michael Stone, and the Minister of the Diaspora of
Armenia, Mr. Hranush Hakobian, who greeted the audience through a video
that was recorded especially for the event.

The evening included a very moving musical program: Armenian music was
performed by Father Koosan Aljanian from the Armenian Patriarchate of
Jerusalem and by Ms Sose’ Krikorian, a student at the Rubin Academy of
Music in Jerusalem. However, The main performance was a remarkable
recital of Psalmodic and Prayer music from Jewish and Christian
traditions by the Charlotta Chorale from Tel-Aviv and its director and
conductor Eli Gefen, himself a Holocaust survivor. The Charlotta Chorale
dedicated this recital to the memory of the Armenians who were killed in
the Genocide.

SAAKASHVILI LETS ARMENIA BECOME PART OF S. CAUCASUS?

May 7, 2013 – 21:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili regrets “the
inability for thousands of Georgian and Azeri citizens to return to
their homes for certain political reasons.”

As the Georgian leader further noted at a Baku-hosted forum, “I hope,
the South Caucasus will become a unified region in future, with a
possibility for Armenia to join it. This, however, should happen as
a part of political liberalization, rather than through the opening
of a railway to Georgia and Kars-Akhalkalaki project.”

He also urged for a change in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. “The world
must not allow for destabilization of this country. Azerbaijan is a
successful state and we hope it will keep being one,” Saakashvili said.

It’s worth noting here that Armenia is a South Caucasus state,
regardless of Saakashvili’s flawed knowledge of geography. Clearly,
the Georgian leader is in a frenetic search of an ally and country
to give him a refuge, should political events in Georgia take an
unexpected turn. This is the only context the glorification of Baku
must be viewed in, and surely, Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev realizes that.

The danger lies in a different fact – Georgia may be turned into
a springboard for Azerbaijan, should Baku-based hotheads start
hostilities against Nagornao Karabakh and Armenia. So Saakashvili would
be well advised to think before he sings praises of Aliev regime, which
has already succeeded in scaring off Europe despite Azeri petrodollars.

Even late Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who didn’t like Armenians much,
never spoke such absurdities. And by the way, it was Armenia who
eventually gave him refuge after his downfall. And Saakashvili had
better remember this.

Karine Ter-Sahakyan / PanARMENIAN News